New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-10
THE SCARE AT HALIFAX.
prRI[, OF A HARBOR ISLAND GARRISON.


.rs.,c,oUs MIDNIGHT VISITORS FRIGHTENED
AWAY FROM VAULT FILLED WITH GUN-Cor-
,oy-pIsCOvERED BY A GIRL-PRECAUTIoNs
TAKEN By THE FORTS.
,BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.]
HALIFAX. n. s., Dec. GA binding snow storm
...va,led here last night This fact was taken into
nsideratlon by persons whose aim appears to
s.ve been to blow up one of the principal forts
h.rs In the centre OF the harbor, and nearly op-
-o.;te the principal part of the city. is a small
ri.,.ra not over 200 yards square On this island
=. .rs of the strongest forts in America. At pres
.n, il Is used as headquarters of the Submarine
Mining or Torpedo Department. tank has been
h;,t there which contains many tons Of gun cotton.
,hout II o'clock last night the daughter of one of
tho soldiers on the island was surprised to see three
mon working at the gun-cotton tank. which is at
or beost corner of the island. The strangers paid
,o attention TO the girl, who went back to the
house and gave the alarm. When some
of the soldiers arrived the spot two
Of the intruders took to their hee Is. The third,
6ndinn he was alone started after them with the
remark: IL amt going to do all the dirty work"
Before they could be captured they got into boat
on the beach and soon out of sight II is sup
posed that they boarded schooner which was
noticed anchored off the island before the storm
SCI in.
have been asked to watch al vessels and landing.
fhe han Dor before being thoroughly searched.
II the three men had fired the gun cotton tank
the whole island wOuld have been blown out OF
existence.
The authorities are trying TO hush the matter up
and pretend to laugh at the report. They say that
the Story originated III the fact that two men IN
boat IN the harbor during the storm last night
probably got out of their course, ran close to
Georges Island and were hailed by sentry and
warned TO keep off.
An officer speaking of the matter to-day ad
vanced the theory of theft. The schooner anchored
of the island may have been fisherman. and that
some of her tended stealing some OF the gun
cotton TO be used to kill fish, knowing now nsn are
DESTROYED by explosions of gun-cotton under wafer
and the dead fish floating there is no trouble CATCH
ing them.
4 few years ago the authorities formed
n torpedo corps for harbor defence and had
1t thoroughly drilled in submarine .9,. mining
have been gwen, the last aud grandest one
beng, at the Jubilee celebration on June
81, when several old hulks were blown 10 atoms
An electric station has been built on the HaIIfax
side of the harbor opposite the island. and, as an
dermine the harbOr. it was found necessary to pro
vide place to store it. Georges Island was the
nearest available spot which was not on the man
land. and 1t was selected and large vault 10 hod
an enormous quantity OF gun cotton was oullt
This vault is partly under ground. Above ground
the timber used is very heavy ana 'he wnole Is
covered with galvanized sheet iron.
Since the first of the month there nave oeen no
lights lit III the city, owing to the inability OF tne
new contractors to light up hehIequIreu' NouPIeu
with this fact. the snow-sorm set III last evening"
making the night an ideal one in which to do such
a Job as it is believed was planned: There is
lighthouse on the west side Of the island, out no
II hght of any kind on the east side. where the tank
Is and W here the three men landed.
The quarters of the troops are about sixty yards
from the tank. i,
he military have telegraph station on the
island and word was immediately sent to the CITY,
All the men the island were ordered out anG re-
manned out all night patrolling the shores
steam tug with an artillery officer on board was
d patched to all the forts this afternoon. tie had
SPECIAL orders TO those In charge OF te lortS 10 use
extra precautiOns for the safety of ther stations
and toni CHI guards were mounted where they were
never known 10 be before.